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Don’t ignore your neck pain Thousands of Indians suffer from episodes of acute or persistent neck pain each year as a result of injury, strain, overuse or aging. Usually, most them pop up over-the-counter painkillers. However, a pain in the neck should not be ignored and left undiagnosed and untreated. Problems in the neck, ‘cervical spine’ in medical jargon requires assessment and treatment to prevent further, more permanent, damage.
What is the cervical spine?
The cervical spine is where the spinal cord lives. The spinal cord is the name given to bundle of nerves arising from the base of the brain and traverses down the back and ends just above the tailbone or coccyx. The cervical spine is made up of seven small circular bones (vertebrae) stacked on top of each other, running from the base of the brain to just past the shoulder blades. Between each vertebra is an intervertebral disc, which acts like a shock absorber and allows flexibility of the spine. Muscles and ligaments run between, and are attached to, the vertebrae. Nerves from the spinal cord pass between the vertebrae going to the shoulder, neck, arm, and upper chest.
Even minor damage to the spinal cord cannot be repaired. Untreated spinal cord compression can lead to irreversible damage. With the increase in number of professionals who sit for hours together doing deskwork or sitting for hours in front of the computer and call-center jobs which requires continuous sitting in one posture the number of people suffering with cervical spondylosis is on the rise. Cervical spondylosis is a 'wear and tear' of the vertebrae and discs in the neck. It is a common cause of neck pain.
Two Types of Neck Pain
There are two distinct types of cervical neck pain. The first type often involves a dull pain in the neck that radiates down the shoulders and arms. Patients may also notice weakness in specific muscles in the arms. A herniated (bulging) disc in the spine pinching a nerve root in the neck often causes this type of neck pain. Discs are found between each vertebra, or bone, in the spinal column. They serve as "shock absorbers" within the spine and have a gel-like center that makes them flexible, allowing the spine to bend and move. However, because the discs are soft they can also bulge and become misshapen. When this occurs, they can place pressure on the spinal cord or irritate one of the nerves leading from the spinal cord out to the arms and upper torso. If the bulge becomes severe, the disc may herniate and push into the spinal canal. The result can be weakness, tingling, clumsiness and numbness in the arm and hands. Bulging discs can be caused by injuries like whiplash, stress on the spine by overuse, or by arthritis/degeneration in the spine.
The second type of neck pain often isn't experienced as 'pain' by patients at all. It usually involves numbness or weakness in the arms or legs, difficulty walking, loss of pain or temperature sensation in the hands and arms, poor balance and stiffness in the neck. In this case, there is pressure directly on the spinal cord. Because this type of "pain" is not felt in the neck itself, it is easily misdiagnosed. 
Causes of neck pain
The pain in the neck can be due to many reasons. These causes include injuries to the neck, inflammation of the brain (encephalitis) or its covering layers (meningitis), haemorrhage in the brain, infections or tumours of the bones, degenerative arthritis of the vertebrae (popularly known as Cervical spondylosis) and some rare neurological disorders. Wrong posture during sitting, lying as well as during work can also a cause of neck pain. Carrying loads on the neck can also contribute to neck pain.
In some cases pain following a heart attack may be felt in the neck along with the chest but sometime it may be only in the neck and may thus mislead the patient as well as the doctor. Headache and pain in the nape of the neck is considered symptom of very high blood pressure although in actual practice this is not common. In children, certain anatomical abnormalities of the cervical spine may produce painful conditions of the neck. Carrying heavy school bags is a common cause for neck pain in children.
Cervical spondylosis is the commonest cause of neck pain.
What is cervical spondylosis?
To an extent, we all develop a degree of degeneration in the vertebrae and discs as we become older. However, cervical spondylosis is a term used if the degree of degeneration is more severe, and causes more symptoms, than is expected for a given age. As the intervertebral discs degenerate, over many years they become thinner. Sometimes the adjacent vertebrae develop small, rough areas of bone on their edges. The nearby muscles, ligaments, and nerves may become irritated by these degenerative changes, which can cause troublesome symptoms.
Symptoms
The most common symptoms with which these patients approach the doctor are:
Pain and stiffness in the neck. It is normally confined to the neck alone.
But there could be radiation of the pain from the neck to the right or left hand or to back of the head.
There may be giddiness associated with pain and stiffness.
Crackling sounds when moving the neck.
There could be only pain in the upper arm with numbness in the tips of the fingers.
These above symptoms all suggest that you could be suffering from a condition known as cervical spondylosis.
Prevention of cervical spondylosis
Nobody can halt the ravages of aging and time but a lot can be achieved by exercising maintaining a healthy lifestyle and a good posture.
Holding the neck in a neutral position while sitting i.e. neither over-extended nor flexed as both strain the ligaments and muscles.
Any reading material should be at eye level.
Computer monitor should be at the eye level. Neck movement at regular intervals is a must.
Individual spending long hours at telephone are advised to use headsets or speaker phones.
Take frequent breaks if your job requires you to sit for long hours. This reduces fatigue of the muscles and joints.
Car seats should have a good head support.
Correct your sleeping posture if the pain is worse in the morning. Avoid high pillow as well as a very flat pillow. It should be soft and thin enough to support nape of the neck.
There is not much we can do about the changes in the bones or the discs but a lot can be done to maintain the cervical muscles in good health. Daily exercise of these muscles at a convenient time can go a long way to tone up these muscles.
Special maneuvers and manipulations should be done only under the guidance of an expert and may be harmful if done without proper advice.
Stress plays a very important role in producing spasms of the muscles and consequently the neck pain. Various stress-relieving measures should be taken in the form of yoga, meditation, pranayama (Breathing exercises).
Treatment For Cervical Spondylosis?
Exercise your neck and keep active. Aim to keep your neck moving as normally as possible. As far as possible, continue with normal activities. In the past, some people have worn a neck collar for long periods when a flare-up of neck pain developed. It is now known that if you wear a collar for long periods it may cause the neck to 'stiffen up'. So, try to keep your neck as active as possible.
Some of those neck pains and stiffness that does not improve in spite of exercise and medication are most certainly due to stress. When a person is in constant stress, the muscles in the neck goes into spasm and causes pain and stiffness in the neck so it is very important for the doctor to identify the cause and treat it accordingly.
Homeopathic approach
Homeopathic medicines provide effective relief to cervical spondylosis as well as other causes of neck pain. In homeopathy the causation and various modalities (or modifications) of pain is given importance. The personality of the individual is taken into consideration. The neck pain and associated complaints like tingling sensation of arms/hands, giddiness and headache are also relieved. If taken in the earlier stages, homeopathy provides permanent cure to cervical spondylosis.
The most commonly used medicines used for the treatment of cervical spondylosis are:
Rhus Tox : Pain and stiffness in the nape of the neck, pain between the shoulders.
Kalmia : Pain from the neck down the arms, pain extending to the shoulder blades.
Conium : Cervical spondylosis with giddiness
Other commonly used medicines are
Causticum, Calcarea phos, Calcarea flour, Nux vomica , Hypericum.
Note: kindly consult a homeopathic physician and take appropriate medicines.
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